Tsunami Update January 15, 2005

Many thanks to all of you who've given so very generously to the Best Friends Tsunami Animal Relief Fund. We have received many touching stories about the tsunami animals and people from animal rescue groups. Here are a few reports from some groups being helped by the fund.

The following excerpts are from Kartick Satyanarayan of Wildlife S.O.S. in India.

WILDLIFE S.O.S and FRIENDICOES Seca Tsunami disaster operations began on the second day with the rescue of a tiny orphaned calf (above right) tossed by the tsunami into a well. It was treated for shock and dehydration and then adopted by delighted villagers who had survived the black Sunday but lost all their livestock. But the team then faced the dilemma that was there was nothing to feed the calf.  Ingenuity prevailed... a nearby sugarcane stockyard had stockpiled sugarcane and the leaves were chopped up to become handy feed not only for this calf but nearly 60 more cattle surviving on tiny patches of high ground in the villages nearby.

Salinity in the drinking water has given all the animals and humans stomach problems. Liver tonics, antibiotics, de-worming, has been given and wherever people offer to care for the animals medicines are being given to them to continue the treatment. [At Periakadu] nearly 40 goats survived here. Several turkeys and calves escaped having floated on top of thatches ripped off huts.


This injured Olive Ridley turtle (right) was spotted near the famous "Velankanni" church in an island, which was created by the tsunami. (Many were washed onto the shore and killed by the impact of the waves.) It was first spotted by a member of a local resort rescue team who were searching and bringing to shore the bodies of the victims of tsunami.

The turtle was severely dehydrated and had a wound in the abdomen area. It was transported to a base camp, where it was given fluids and treated for the gash wounds and is currently being kept comfortable in a bathtub filled with seawater.

In Singarathoppu village the team finally found a reason to laugh...this dog had survived because the wave had smashed him into an empty pot which bobbed him to safety and was finally caught in the branches of a tree. The surviving villagers broke the pot but Ramu had this plastic collar till our team extricated him from it. 

Download and listen to audio from Kartick (.mp3 file) or visit Best Friends Radio for more about the tsunami.

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The following excerpts are from Robert Blumberg of Kandy Association for Community Protection and Animal Welfare (KACPAW) in Sri Lanka

January 11
So far, Pets V Care, a veterinary hospital in Columbo, Sri Lanka, has vaccinated 1,200 dogs. In the Trinco area, where refugee camps range in size from 25-500, many dogs are living in the refugee camps with their people and sharing their food. The Sri Lankan military even helped catch strays for vaccinating. In general, the existing dogs are in good shape, but many are hungry. But as food aid is now starting to flow, food should trickle to the dogs through people being able to share more and through scavaging.

The World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) has proposed both disaster relief and sterilization via mobile clinics. The first step would be a rapid mass vaccination. One possibility is to hire idle refugees from the camps whose livelihoods have been washed away, thus providing a work opportunity.

How are we holding up? Our local volunteers have spent countless hours organizing things, buying supplies, preparing food and delivering, arranging and tracking donations and paying expenses liaising with outside groups - everyone in our small group has a "can do attitude."

January 8
This was the first "on the ground" assessment by real disaster animal welfare experts, and extremely valuable. We have serious farming issues that [may] dwarf the cat and dog issues. In essence, the salt water has killed the grass where the extensive farming is done - and the wave killed many pregnant cows (the high producers) and calves - and the remaining will probably soon be slaughtered since the farmers need to eat with a vicious cycle effect. We have farmers with unfarmable land and non-productive remaining cows. And across the road we have fishermen with no nets and no boats.

January 5
As most people have heard, in general, the animals fared relatively well from the initial impact and it is the aftermath that is of concern. Hopefully, as the international relief organizations get food and water to people, the effects will filter to the animals as well, as we don't have the people or resources right now for a widespread feeding campaign. We are also being careful to provide a balanced approach in stressing that because people and animals are so tightly linked, making sure the animals are in good health has a positive impact on the people, especially in the disease control arena.

A lot of people are pulling together on this effort. We have a small but dedicated band of volunteers making things happen.